Fastening device



Sept. 19, 1933. w. H. CASTNER 1,927,339

FASTENING DEVICE Original Filed Dec. '7, 1929 ZSheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 19, 1933.-

w. H. CASTNER 1,927,389

FASTENING DEVICE Original Filed Dec. 7, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet ,2

r 7 4 v|t;. I iii/111111 165? I Egg! I I I I Patented Sept. 19, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT rice Bethlehem Steel Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 7, 1929, Serial No. 412,372

Renewed August '8, 1931 15 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in fastening devices and particularly to fasteners for railroad track equipment.

One. of the objects of my invention is to provide means for fastening .railroadtrack equipment to ties which will prevent such equipment from being jarred loose due to the passage of trains upon the rails.

Another object of my invention is to provide 0 a fastener for a tie plate which is adapted to be engaged by means within thetie plate, when it is assembled with a railroad tie so as to firmly hold the tie plate onto the tie.

- Other novel features of my invention will be more fully understoodfrom the following description and the claims taken with the drawings in which: t

Fig. 1 is.a top plan View of a tie plate which is capable of being connected to a railroad tie by my improved fastener.

1 Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a tie plate mounted ona railroad .tie with one type of my improved fastening device.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 2 but with the apertures inthe tie plate tapered from the under side thereof.

.Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a structure similar to Fig. 2 but having the tie plate tapped so as to directly engage the threads of the spikes.

f Referring to the drawings 10 represents a railroad tie, having a tie plate llmounted thereon, and upon which the rail 12 is adapted to be mounted. The tie plate 11 is preferablyconnected to the tie 10 by means of screw spikes 13 which pass through the apertures therein. .;The tie plate 11 may be formed with enlarged apertures, as indicated by 14 and 15, Figures 1, 2 and 3, which are adapted to receive bushings 16, or itmay be tapped as shown in Fig. 4 with lockingthreads 20, which areadapted to engage a complementary thread 21 on the neck of the spike 13. r

The neck portion 18 of the spike 13 is preferably larger in diameterthan, the remaining portion of the spike and maybe provided with threads which are preferably of a different pitch from those on the remaining portion of the spike; These threads while of a different pitch are preferably of the same lead. The threads 21, however, may be omitted from the neck portion 18 of the spike 13. H 1

Myinvention also contemplates the use of an ordinary driven spike which maybe rectangular in cross-section. In cases where the spike is not threaded theaperture in the bushing is so formed (Cl. 238-304) F that it will engage the surface of the spike so i that a tight joint will be provided. between th bushing and the spike.

Y The apertures 14 and 15 may be circular as shown at 15, or may be square as shown at 14, 3 Fig. hand are preferably tapered so that the bushings 16 which-also are preferably tapered on their outer surface will engage the tie plate with a wedging effect. The apertures 14 and 15 may be tapered as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 so as to receive the bushings from the top of the plate 11 or may be tapered as shown in Fig. 3, so as to receive the bushings 16 from the bottom of the plate 11. The bushing 16, which is preferably of fibre, but which may be of any other suitable material such as hard rubber, soft metal, etc., has a hole extending therethrough which is of smaller diameter than the neck portion of the spike 13.

The inner surface of the bushing 16 may be smooth or may be provided with threads 7 preferably of less depth than the threads of the spike 13, so that when the spike is screwed or driven into the bushing it will force the bushing into gripping engagement with the tie plate and at the same time cause the bushing to grip g the spike;

When it is desired to mount the tie plate shown inFigs'. 2 and 3 on the tie 10, the bushings 16' are preferably pressed into theapertures l4 and 15. The spike 13 is then inserted through the hole in the bushing 16 into engagement with the tie 10 and is then screwed into the tie. During the screwing of the spike into the tie, the threads on the neck portion 18 thereof will be forced into the bushing 16 and as the hole in the bushing is smaller'than the neck portion of the spike 13' the bushing 16 will be forced into gripping engagement with the tie plate 11, and will also grip the spike 13 so'that the spike will be locked against displacement and therefore the tie plate 11 will beheld firmly against the tie 10. i Y

When the spike is-driven into the tie 10, the driving of the spike through the hole in the bushing, which is somewhat smaller than the body of the spike, will expand'the bushing into gripping engagement with the tie plate 11 and will also cause the bushing to grip the spike and thus restrain the spike against vertical displacement.

When the tie plate ll'is constructed as shown in Fig. 4, that is with the apertures for the spikes tapped as indicated at 20, the threads in the plate 11 and the threads on the neck of the spike 13 are" preferably of theDar'delet locking type as disclosed in patent to Dardelet No. 1,657,244,

dated January 24, 1928, so that when the tie plate 3 11 is mounted on the tie l0 and the spike is screwed into the tie and the tie plate it will automatically be brought into locking engagement with the plate 11 due to the special threads 20 and 21 of the tie plate and the spike, respectively.

It will be obvious that my invention provides an assembly which obviates side clearance between the spike and the tie plate and thus the tie plate is retained against lateral displacement. It also precludes the entry of any water or moisture between these parts and therefore more or less eliminates the possibility of water collecting and entering the tie adjacent the spike.

The device embodying my invention not only functions as a locking device but also as a sealing device.

I am aware that bushings have been used between parts of railway track structures for electric insulating purposes, but in such cases it has not been essential that the parts be in close fitting relation, whereas the embodiment of my invention requires that the adjacent parts be in close fitting relation at all times.

While I have shown my invention in a plurality of forms, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a railroad tie, a tie plate having apertures therein, a threaded fastener having an enlarged neck portion passing through each of the apertures in said tie plate and connecting said tie plate to said tie and means within said tie plate adapted to frictionally engage the threads of the enlarged neck portion of said fastener and lock the fastener to the tie plate.

2. In combination with a railroad tie, a tie plate having apertures therein, a fastener passing through an aperture in said tie plate and connecting said tie plate to said tie, said fastener comprising a threaded member having threads of the same lead throughout its length but of a different pitch adjacent its neck portion from the threads on its remaining portion, and means within the tie plate for frictionally engaging the threads on the neck portion.

3. In combination with a railroad tie, a tie plate having apertures therein, threaded'fasteners having an enlarged neck portion for connecting said tie plate to said tie, bushings within said apertures having a hole of less diameter than the diameter of the neck portion of the fasteners, said neck portion having threads of a different pitch than the threads of the remaining portion of the fastener, said threads adapted to engage the inner surface of the bushing and impress threads thereon and force the bushing into frictional engagement with the tie plate and into locking engagement with the fastener.

4. In combination with a railroad tie, a tie plate having apertures therein, a bushing within said apertures having an opening therethrough, a fastener for connecting said tie plate to said tie, said fastener having a threaded portion adapted to pass freely through the bushing and a threaded portion of larger diameter than the opening in the bushing adapted to pass through said bushing in binding relation therewith and expand said bushing whereby said bushing is forced into gripping engagement with the tie plate.

5. In combination with a railroad tie, a tie plate having apertures therein, a threaded fastener adapted to pass through the aperture in the tie plate and connect said tie plate to said tie, and special locking threads within said tie plate I adapted to frictionally engage complementary threads on the fastener, thereby locking said fastener to the tie plate and the tie plate to the tie.

6. In combination with a railroad tie, a tie plate having tapered apertures therein, a tapered hollow bushing adapted to be inserted in the apertures in said tie plate, and a threaded member having a portion of its thread adapted to freely pass through the bushing into the tie and a portion of its threads adapted to engage the bushing and force said bushing into frictional engagement with the tie plate and lock the fastener to the tie plate.

'7. In combination with a railroad tie, a tie plate having an aperture therein, a threaded fastener adapted to pass through the aperture in said tie plate to connect said tie plate to said tie,

said fastener having threads adjacent its head of a different pitch than the threads of the remainder of the fastener and means within said tie plate adapted to frictionally engage the threads of said fastener adjacent its head and lock the fastener to the tie plate.

8. In combination with a railroad tie, a tie plate having apertures therein adapted to be connected to said tie, a non-metallic bushing having an aperture therein adapted to be inserted within the apertures within said tie plate, a fastener adapted to be inserted through the bushing into the tie and an enlarged neck portion integral with said fastener adapted to frictionally engage said bushing and expand said bushing into locking engagement with the tie plate.

9. In combination with a railroad tie, a tie plate having an aperture therein, special locking threads within the aperture in said tie plate, a threaded fastener having threads at one end, different from those in the tie plate adapted to pass through the aperture in the tie plate and engage the tie and special locking threads adjacent the other end of said fastener adapted to engage the special threads in the tie plate and lock said fastener to the tie plate and the tie plate to said tie.

10. A tie plate having a tapered aperture therein adapted to receive a fastener and a bushing within said aperture frictionally engaging said tie plate.

11. A tie plate having an aperture therein and a tapered bushing within said aperture having a pressed fit with said tie plate;

12. A tie plate having an aperture therein adapted to receive a fastener and a tapered bushing within said aperture frictionally engaging.

said tie plate and adapted to frictionally engage a fastener.

13. In combination with a railroad tie, a tie plate adapted to be connected to said tie and vhaving a tapered aperture therein, a bushing adapted to be inserted within the aperture of said tie plate and having an aperture therein, a fastener adapted to be inserted through the bushing into the tie and to frictionally engage said bushing.

1 L 14. In combination with a railroad tie, a tie 50 plate having an aperture therein, a fastener having a threaded portion on one end passing freely through said aperture and connecting the tie plate to said tie, and having an enlarged portion, and means within said aperture in gripping engagement with the enlarged portion of the fastener and the tie plate.

WILLIS H. CASTNER. 

